Plate-holder-changing box for cameras.



No. 744:498. PATBNTED NOV. 17, 1903. L. DARLINGTON. PLATE HOLDERCHANGING BOX FOR CAMERAS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 9, 1902.

2 SHEETS SHE-ET 1.

N0 MODEL.

No. 744,498. PATENTED m. 17, 1903.

L..DARLINGTON. PLATEV HOLDER CHANGING BOX FOR CAMERAS.

APPLICATION TILED D130. 9, 1902.

- 2 SHEETSSHBET 2.

N0 MODEL.

mmmlmm i i i g I jj' tflf i E i i w z I l l 2 i i i a I a 5 E r i IInvenfor Patented November 17, 1903.

LIONEL DARLINGTON,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PLATE-HOLDER-CHANGING BOX FOR CAMERAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 744,498, dated November17, 1903.

Application filed December 9. 1902. Serial No. 184,566v (No modeLI ToaZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, LIONEL DARLINGTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, county of New York, and State of New York, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Plate-Holder-ChangingBoxes for Cameras, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement inplate-holder-changing boxes for cameras, and has for its object toprovide a box to be detachably secured to the rear of the camera,inwhich a numberof plate-holders are held, and one side of this box beingmade of flexible material, so that the operator can grasp theplate-holders and change them from the front to the rear as they areexposed without admitting any light to the box; and a further object ofmy invention is to so construct the plate-holders and box that theweight of the whole apparatus will be comparatively little.

With these ends in view this invention consists in the details ofconstruction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and thenspecifically designated by the claim.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this inventionappertains may understand how to make and use the same, the constructionand operation will now be described in detail, referring to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a horizontal section through my improvedplate-holder-changing box, showing the same attached to the rear of acamera ready for use; Fig. 2, a similar view to Fig. 1, showing aplate-holder containing an exposed plate placed at the rear of the otherplate-holder; Fig. 3, a cross-section through the plate-holder-changingbox; Fig. 4, a face view of one plate-holder.

A representsthe plate-holder which, for the sake of compactness is madeof thin sheet metal, preferably aluminium, three of its edges beingturned over, as indicated at A, the plate being adapted to he slidbehind these tu rned-over edges, and a thin flat spring being secured atthe open end of the plateholder, as indicated at B, prevents theaccidental displacement of the plate after once inserted in the holder;but by forcing this spring B downward the plate can be easily removedfrom the same.

A represents lugs extending outward from the plate-holder, by which theplate-holder is to be grasped in manipulating the same in theplate-holdenchanging box. These lugs are arranged at different pointsalong the open end of the plate-holder, as indicated in dotted lines inFig. 4, so that all of the lugs do not come in line with one another,only every third or fourth one being in line, so that room will be leftbetween the lugs so that the same can be grasped by the fingers.

0 represents the plate-holder-changing box, the front of which isadapted to be secured to the rear of the camera by any suitable means,here shown as springs D, so as to make a light-tight connectiontherewith. This front end of the box is open, but can be closed by meansof a slide E, so that light will be excluded from the box when the boxis removed from the camera. One end of the box is made in the form of aframe, as indicated at F, and hinged to the box at the point F. Theframe and box have grooves for the reception of the light-excludingstrip W. This frame has secured to it a flexible covering G, of rubber,cloth, or otherlight-proof material, and this covering G is convolutedor folded, so that the same can be extended a considerable distanceoutward from the side of the boxthat is, a distance more than the lengthof one of the plate-holders. Inside of the box is arranged a plate H,the end which is next to the frame F being bent rearward on a slightcurve, as indicated at H. Interposed between this plate H and the rearof the box 0 are a series of springs I, which tend to force the plate Htoward the front of the box.

In filling the box in a dark room the frame F is swung back, and then anumber of plateholders are inserted in the box between the front of thebox and the front of the plate H, the plate H being forced rearward asthe plate-holders are inserted. All of the plateholders are so insertedin the box that the plates are exposed toward the front of the box orthe slide E. Then by closing the frame F the plates are confined in alight-tight box,

and after the camera has been focused and the ground glass removed thebox G is simply attached to the rear of the camera, the slide E removed,and then the first plate can be exposed atonce. Afterthis plateisexposed the operator grasps the center of the covering G and by feelingwith his fingers grasps the lug of the front plate-holder and withdrawsthe same. As soon as this front plateholder is withdrawn the springs Iwill act to instantly force the next plate in place of the one removed.Then the operator carries the plate-holder, with the exposed plate, tothe rear and inserts the same between the last plate-holder and theplate H, as shown in Fig. 2. The curved end H of the plate 11facilitates the inserting of the holder. Thus all of the plates maybeexposed without admitting any light to the box.

The advantage of my invention is thata large number of plates can becarried, and in carrying a dozen plates the weight will not be as greatas one-half dozen plates in individual holders, and an apparatus whichwill hold a dozen plates will not take up as much room as three holdersin which one-half dozen plates are held, and at the same time all of theholders are together in a compact form and may be carried attached tothe camera or separate, as desired, and there being no complicated partsthe apparatus is not liable to get out of order or become damaged in anyway.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact construction hereshown, as slight modifications could be made Without departing from thespirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and usefulis- In a device of the character described a box having an open front, aframe hinged on the top of the box, the said frame and box havingcoinciding grooves, light-excluding strips in the grooves, the frontsection of the frame and the top of the box having corresponding slots,a slide in the slots, a flexible covering secured to the hinged frame,plateholders each comprising a strip of metal having its sides bent into embrace edges of a plate and having a lug at the top, a followerplatein the box, having a rearwardly-curved upper end, a camming-surface andsprings interposed between the follower-plate and the rear of the box.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

LIONEL DARLINGTON.

Witnesses:

RUDY COLE, FREDERIC W. Ens.

